


O Fortuna, vide ad me

by SolarSystem



Category: Disney - All Media Types, DuckTales (Cartoon 1987), DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Angst, Character Study, Gen, Introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:29:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25892899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolarSystem/pseuds/SolarSystem
Summary: A short drabble about Gladstone and his luck.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 36





	O Fortuna, vide ad me

**Author's Note:**

> Gladstone is my favorite character and I think he's really complex and has so much potential. I'm hoping DT17 does him justice.

Throughout his life, Gladstone learns four things about his luck.

  1. His natural luck affects him and him only. 



He remembers clutching loose dirt and watching as droplets of water rain down under sunny blue skies. The silence rings in his ears and washes out distant echoes of 'happy birthdays'. He should be celebrating with them but Lady Fortuna refuses to meet his eyes. He's met with looks of pity and scorn, envy for a force he can't control so he dons a mask and averts his gaze. The thought lighting a single birthday candle every year hurts more than it should.

  1. If Gladstone wishes hard enough, he can control his luck.



He finds this out one day while he and the other were down playing in the creek. Fresh spring water pour endlessly through smooth rocks littering the bed and glitters in the early sunlight. Four ducklings hop across every stream without a care in the world until they reach a waterfall. It's all fun and games until Fethry's cap is floating in the wind. Gladstone's blood runs cold and he feels the soft wet dirt under his nails again. He wishes with all his heart, chasing after the flutter cap while muttering every prayer he knows. The hat slips away from his fingers but Gladstone knows, when Fethry emerges from the 20ft drop into the water completely unscathed, that his wish was granted.

  1. He will only be seen for his luck.



He loves his family with his entire being. If something were to happen to them, Gladstone knows he would turn the world upside down for them. But family hurts you the most even when they don't mean to, razor sharp words hidden in oblivious conversations. Uncle Scrooge has his disdain for his nephew's impossible luck and lazy attitude, and Donald can't help but be annoyed at his poor luck compared to his cousin's. Gladstone Gander, the luckiest duck in the world. People gather to have a taste of good fortune, like a crowd flocking around a circus animal.

  1. He was fated to be alone.



He wasn't always so arrogant at first. He was naïve, turning his stomach to the jaw of his predators. He'd parade through town with his newly-made friends in toll, making quick work of casinos at their requests. And he'd be alone once they had gotten their hands full and he realized that he was nothing but a glorified lottery ticket. Gladstone began travelling the world, a lost face in a moving crowd. Smooth plastic, hazy smoke, celebratory cheers of another prize earned. Look at me, he'd plead. Look at me. He tears his gaze to meet their eyes but can only see greed. If you can't beat them, join them.


End file.
